No it is a thousand times more potent! Hahahaha. More BS. But we do have enough alcoholics dulling their lives, right?

yup...its the smoke that terrorizes people who are against it. pop a gummy and no one knows the difference...

nope coffee

You forgot #6: Smart Phones

yes..and I quit

Most of the comments, including the OP, seem to violate the "politics" prohibition of this site.

Individuals reporting cannabis use are at higher risk of psychotic disorders (ie, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder) than the general population, as well as having earlier onset, worse symptoms, and longer hospitalisations.

Users are prohibited by federal law to own guns and to pilot aircraft - including drones.

One could replace "marijuana" with amphetamines, fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, sex trade, gambling, etc. in all of the arguments for legalization.

Agree!

The dumbing down of America. Sure, why not "huuuuuh, phewwww, go for it dude."

Medical is ok; however, abused.

Nothing like smelling cow dung pot at red lights knowing another driver is getting high and driving. Smell it everywhere now. Just wonderful.

Since pot would be ok why not add legailized Molly and coke to counter the excess weight gain and lathargic, mellowed out, overly "chilled" out effects that the pot causes.

Pot slows the brain down so we need a legalized pick me up something stronger than caffeine too. The pick me up means no sleep so now a good stronger than unisom sleep drug is needed so how about some good legalized fentanyl so one can sleep again... like forever.

Sure, all the drugs are here anyway so might as well open the prison gates for those in jail because of them. Shame some people killed themselves over drug convictions that are now legal.

That sucks "dude".

My nephew died in vain. He took his own life after serving his sentence in the brig for smoking pot. The military denied him his meds for depression while he was incarcerated.

Dude, he broke honorable code and valor so he outed himself. His death was a damn shame, worth more than a blunt. I digress...

Regarding street dealers, legalization in no way put them out of business, the high taxes made their product much cheaper,made selling it a license violation, what would the point be of writing them a ticket, I have been also told that the potency of the street dealer is generally higher, not necessarily safer

I’m never going to use marijuana, and I’m uncomfortable with legalizing it. That said, not allowing people to grow a few plants for personal use proves that Florida is only interested in the money. It’s easy to grow, and it isn’t necessary to use only the strongest parts. If you have your own plants, you can get a great high with one dried leaf, or part of one, and those plants have a lot of leaves. It would cost nothing.

It’s all about the money. I despise that attitude.

The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) advocates for careful consideration of potential immediate and downstream effects of marijuana policy changes on children and adolescents. Marijuana legalization, even if restricted to adults, may be associated with (a) decreased adolescent perception of marijuana’s harmful effects, (b) increased marijuana use among parents and caretakers, and (c) increased adolescent access to marijuana, all of which reliably predict increased rates of adolescent marijuana use and associated problems.1-3 Marijuana use during pregnancy, occurring at increasing rates, raises additional concerns regarding future infant, child, and adolescent development.4-6

Marijuana Legalization
Long-term use of marijuana can lead to:

Cannabis Use Disorder
The same breathing problems as smoking cigarettes (coughing, wheezing, trouble with physical activity, and lung cancer)
Decreased motivation or interest which can lead to decline in academic or occupational performance
Lower intelligence
Mental health problems, such as schizophrenia, depression, anxiety, anger, irritability, moodiness, and risk of suicide

Marijuana and Teens.

Highlights
Cannabis legalization leads to increased cannabis use among adults
Legalization may have negative implications for minors via effects on parents
Critical lack of causally informative studies with parents and young children

Causal Effects of Cannabis Legalization on Parents, Parenting, and Children: A Systematic Review - PMC

The estimated tax boon is always pie in the sky. The major advocates also happen to be those ready to start selling the minute the law is passed. Studies in states where pot was legalized show that alcohol sales are reduced because people are using pot instead. As the market matures the price for pot drops and the taxes are reduced. It was also found that pot sold by drug pushers was stronger and tax free further reducing the tax revenues. Here's an article discussing some of the issues.
Marijuana tax revenues fall short of projections in many states, including Colorado

"While many states have decriminalized and legalized cannabis, Florida law still classifies marijuana as a Schedule I controlled substance. Depending on how much is found on your person or your property, you could face significant penalties if you aren’t following the legal guidelines of medical marijuana."

(flaherty defense firm dot com)

50 years overdue, but the devil is in the details. Who gets to grow? Big donors to public figures? Or open competition in a free market? Limits on THC concentration? Penalties for distribution to minors? How about driving or operating machinery under the influence? Let’s see the actual text, and the underlying regulations?

No pun intended...?

I am for legalization but you should really educate yourself if you dont think marijuana use has not been a contributing factor in many traffic collision fatalities. I have personally worked 20+ fatalities where marijuana has been the sole drug being a contributing factor.

Car Crash Deaths Involving Cannabis on the Rise | SPH

Agreed.

"Hey! I know someone who's successful and they smoke pot!" And a celebrity at that. Certainly a job most people are going to have.

Sort of like the argument that single mothers do just as well as two-parent families because that guy over there is successful and he was raised by a single mom.

I remember a PSA from years ago. A guy and his buddy are sitting smoking pot. One guy comments "I've smoked pot all my life. Nothing ever happened to me".

The camera pans back, and you see they are sitting in a bedroom and you hear a call from downstairs "Hey son! Did you look for a job today?" Both rush to open the window and wave the smoke out. Tag Line - When you smoke pot, nothing happens.

And there is going to be more of that than Willie Nelson's and Harrison Fords.

I'm not concerned about adults smoking pot in moderation, any more than I worry about adults drinking in moderation. But to legalize pot like alcohol and remove one more barrier to kids getting it? Not worth the tax revenue that they TELL us we are going to get. And based on other states and other vices (lottery) most likely won't.

I will be voting no. I've seen enough of this "grand experiment".

You need a better understanding of medical marijuana in this state. The patient has limited access to the product and all purchases are tracked and controlled through a state database.

Nah on recreational marijuana. It’s a major contributor to crime and demotivating th users. Why work? Just keep eating those gummies.

Marijuana growing
 

I agree about the details, especially the growing aspect. What might be the impact on agriculture when farmers decide to grow pot for profitability instead of producing food? I haven’t seen this possibility examined. Am I missing something?

You don’t have to smoke it buy a gummy. They have different strengths, also you can get CBD oil mixed with a small amount of marijuana mixed in for pain

Very informative response. I was on the fence but will vote no now.

I’m thinking…..maybe it’s time to lease some space for “Villages Weed” in brownwood….

Joe

So we don't have to pay $500.00 a year, almost, to buy it.

Ironic that they have all BUT criminalized smoking tobacco, yet now folks will be able to/encouraged to smoke pot. Guess good ole Uncle Sam is not making enough tax money from old tobaccie anymore. Other than making some folks wealthy, I see no benefit by making another drug, legal. Isn't alcohol enough of a recreational drug? Maybe we can start our own Amsterdam? How's that working out for the Netherlands?

:a20::mademyday::1rotfl:

Until the Sativa Effect hits when too much is smoked and the person literally loses their mind for an hour or so. Paranoia, feelings of impending doom, etc.

At low level, I agree with you...mellow.

Won't the legal non-medical Marijuana also have limited access, or will you be able to buy and possess unlimited amounts, even if you are not a licensed dealer?

Vote No, we have enough crazies on the road now. Let them go to another state if they want to get high!

I wish we would, our crime rate would plummet.

Netherlands vs United States Crime Stats Compared

[QUOTE=dougjb;2341789]Ban alcohol. Put Marijuana in every person's lunch bucket! See how mellow our society becomes!


And no work will be done!

I vote NO. Keep it illegal ...... it doesn't do society any good.
If the government wants more tax money, then make the fine for illegal use $1000 for the first offense, $2000 for the second offense and so on. That will keep the tax collectors happy and keep law enforcement busy.
BTW, people complain about how cigarette smoke and cigar smoke stinks and is annoying ........Pot smoke absolutely stinks as bad as an overflowing cesspool.

Very little impact. Florida maybe one of the better states to grow it in. It needs warm, humid air with lots of sunlight. That is why it grows so well in south America and Asia.

There are some strains that grow well without all that but they still grow better in such conditions.

Greenhouses are usually used.

It's a yes for me, the free state of Florida taking so many rights away, it's time to give us one. I take a gummy every night, and finally can sleep with no after effects like sleep drugs give me. It never should have been illegal in the first place, it was during the "war on drugs" which was used to target certain communities. Black Americans are arrested for violating marijuana possession laws at nearly four times the rates of white Americans, yet both consume marijuana at roughly the same rates.

Well said! I have a friend who was growing it in his attic to sell (illegally) and was quite an expert in the science of growing the best strains. He moved to California and got a really job with a grower. ( he was delivering pizzas before that) he loves it. Not all pot dealers are low life herione addicts like in the movies. Many are just trying to make a living. Like bootleggers during prohibition many became legitimate businesses.

To counter some of the false claims, I figured I would make a list of facts. A great read is this from the CATO institute. They reviewed tons of studies and real world data. A long read so here is their conclusion. I have added additional items they did not cover.

"The absence of significant adverse consequences is especially striking given the sometimes‐​dire predictions made by legalization opponents."
https://www.cato.org/policy-analysis...ate#conclusion

All laws regarding legalizing also include stiff penalties for illegal sales, including corruption of a minor.

Pot and coke are vastly different things. The biggest being coke is addictive and pot is not.

It has been proven pot is less of a gateway drug than alcohol is when both are legal. When alcohol was illegal, it was far more of a gateway drug than it is when legal. Pot is the same.

CBD is legal to buy already. No need to buy CBD at a dispensary unless you want it mixed with pot.

The crime rate does not increase with legal pot, only when the idiots in charge also legalize the addictive drugs as well.

Traffic accidents do not increase either. It has been found many would be drunk drivers become stoned drivers creating a net zero change in accidents post legalization.

Pot use increases slightly after legalization and quickly tapers off. With the national view that pot is not so bad, the rate of pot use is climbing in every state. Legalization barely changes it.

Obviously, the justice system's burden is reduced, but that is the effect of legalizing anything.

Vote your conscious, but do it informed. Pot having very little effect on anything but revenue is irrelevant if you are against all mind altering drugs, including alcohol.

Absolutely NOT!! As a retired Police Officer from Colorado, I saw first hand the effects of legalized marijuana. Every statistical category of crime increased, from petit theft to armed robbery and even murder. Colorado politicians also made the same promises of increasing public safety, fixing roads and more money for school's. To this day, 11 years later, NONE of those promises have come to fruition! Also, the cartel’s moved in, to grow their own weed to sell for much less than what the dispensary’s are selling it for.

Someone is getting rich from the tax base of legalized weed and benefiting, but I can assure you, it’s not the citizens who were handed the same bag of veiled promises…VOTE NO!!!

This is the type of subject that folks will never 100% agree on. Not gonna waste time with the reasons, not gonna try and convince others. But if we are doing a tracking poll, you can put me in the no column.

The Mexican cartel thanks you! I’m so glad you’re no longer a cop.